IF YOU LIKE THIS BLOG, PLEASE FORWARD IT TO AT LEAST ONE OR MORE FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS WHOM YOU FEEL MIGHT ENJOY READING IT.
(There’s
a little envelope at the bottom left corner of each posting enabling you to
easily do that. It looks like this: 
. Just click on it and follow the instructions. It will forward the text of the blog posting, but not any images ... like that little envelope ... to whomever you want.)
JL
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Redefining 'the Big Lie' Truthfully at Last
Let's define the defeated former president's 'big lie' more specifically.
(Traditionally, the 'big lie,' as utilized by Adolph Hitler and more recently, by our defeated former president, is a 'lie' of such vast dimensions and, so widely accepted, that it is almost impossible for the public not to believe that there has to be some truth to it, even though there is none whatsoever.)
Actually today's American version is far more than such a 'lie.' It is a 'criminal conspiracy' designed to attack the government and defy the Constitution. Its heart is the 'stop the steal' movement and the insurrection of January 6, 2021, both illegal Republican efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The most interesting part of it, however, is that many Republicans while going on record in varying degrees as recognizing and accepting this truthful definition of it, still insist that they would vote for the defeated former president should he run again and support his actions as part of their campaigns for whatever office they seek. Sane people see a 'disconnect' there. Republicans do not.
They think attempting to violently and illegally attack the Consitution is perfectly acceptable, as long as it gets them votes from the vast pool of American idiots and bigots that the Constitution's First Amendment permits to exist. Make your own decision as to their integrity. Most Republicans have none.
How anyone can vote for a candidate or for a party that lacks both sanity and integrity is beyond me.
JL
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You might have noticed that Jackspotpourri, to avoid contamination, tries to avoid using the name of the 45th president of the United States. Instead, that person is usually referred to as 'the defeated former president.'
JL
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Excerpts from My Comments on “Letters from an American”
Here’s an assortment of comments which I recently made on Boston College Professor Heather Cox Richardson’s daily newsletter: “Letters from an American.” (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/) Read them and you’ll know where I stand.
* * *
This one I posted after reading some searching remarks there about the attacks on democracy that appear in the media each day:
“Not that many Americans will bother to read lengthy pieces like HCR's analysis today, and for that matter, your comments. Too many are simply politically apathetic or satisfied with the more concise and incendiary outbursts that the country's anti-democratic minority post on social media. They know their audience. The Pew study confirmed this in 2020 and things probably are worse today. The correct link to that study is: https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2020/07/30/americans-who-mainly-get-their-news-on-social-media-are-less-engaged-less-knowledgeable/ “
* * *
These two comments, in which I make concrete recommendations, were in response to a list of revelations justifying the arrest and prosecution of those who inspired the January 6, 2021 insurrection:
“What you say is correct. But our system gives them numerous legal defenses. Fighting liars and traitors on the battlefield chosen by them will take years and by then the pendulum of history will have swung too far to the right, where it might be stuck for a while. The answer is to pour sufficient resources and energy into the campaigns of the opponents of Greene, Cawthorn, DeSantis and similar Republicans so that they are soundly defeated at the polls on November 8. (Not allowing Greene to run would probably increase support for whomever replaces her on the ballot.) If it cannot be accomplished that way, we will have to wait for the pendulum to swing back a few generations from now. (As I have said numerous times, winning at the polls requires a massive turnout of women voters and of persons of color.)”
* * *
“The
Democrats don't know how to 'message.' Give them information like this and they
will waste their efforts 'preaching it to the choir.' Here is what I recommend:
Develop a 60 second commercial featuring excerpts from McConnell's and
McCarthy's immediate anti-Trump statements on January 6 and 7, 2021. (fifteen
seconds each.) Point out that since then, each of them have changed their tunes
which makes them liars. (ten seconds each.) Then simply state that there is an
alternative on Election Day. (final ten seconds.) Run it a dozen times an
evening from now till Election Day (unless something even more explosive comes
along) on Fox, Newsmax and OAN, all of which are in the business of selling
advertising time.”
* * *
And here’s one I posted in response to a comment expressing pleasure that a prosecutor was ‘filing a motion’ to hold the defeated former president in contempt for not producing subpoenaed documents:
"Filing a motion" means agreeing to play the game on the battlefield chosen by the enemies of democracy, one where their lawyers can endlessly practice obfuscation. When secessionists fired on Fort Sumter in 1861, Abraham Lincoln did more than file a motion. He was not deterred by the possibility of civil war, which Attorney General Garland seems to be, even as his case becomes stronger and stronger with each revelation.”
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The day after the elections in France and Slovenia, which were encouraging to friends of democracy, Professor Richardson pinpointed the obvious guilt of those in our own government. Here is my comment:
“The
House Select Committee, and you and I, all know, as HCR clearly points out
today that "elected representatives and appointed members of our
government were actively working to end our democracy." This is possible
because enough of those whom our democracy gives the right to vote were able to
be fooled into putting such a government into power. Democracy is fragile. It
includes the potential for its own demise. Slovenians caught it in time but an
ominous 40% of French voters, fortunately not enough to win, were willing to
let go of it. On November 8, let's all vote like the Slovenians or the sane 60%
of Frenchmen did. There is no other choice.”
JL
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Blue Blazers and Chinos and other News
Originally, I had intended this to be a letter to the Palm Beach Post but after thinking about it, I decided to limit my correspondence to them to more serious matters, so I am just posting it on the blog for whatever it is worth.
'I’ve noticed in the Palm Beach Post’s “Notables” sections that the gentlemen often pictured there frequently wear a uniform. Because many of the charitable events mentioned take place on Palm Beach Island, I presume most of these gentlemen reside there. This casual uniform consists of tan trousers, possibly even khakis or chinos, suggesting involvement in some kind of “work” but above the “getting dirty” level calling for dungarees and always a blue blazer with brass buttons. Is there a Town statute requiring possession of such a uniform by male residents of the Town of Palm Beach?'
???
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Law and Order: While on the subject of the news, this morning’s paper (4/27) described a long-running and very complicated legal battle regarding indebtedness resulting from the transfer of a piece of waterfront property, where corporate identities were repeatedly changed as to who owed what to whom.
Today’s paper also described the lawsuits that the League of
Women Voters, and others, were filing to stop some of the Florida governor’s
autocratic attacks on democracy in the Sunshine state.
Both articles involved lawyers and remind me of what one of Shakespeare’s characters (Dick the Butcher) said in Henry VI, Part 2, “Kill all the lawyers!” Some people think that this was the desire of the would-be revolutionaries in the play who felt that unfriendly lawyers and laws stood in their way, and others believe it illustrated the role of lawyers in preserving law and order from the assaults of Dick and his kind. I wonder how the lawyers on both sides in the two situations mentioned above feel about this. Which side was intending to support law and which side was trying to subvert it?
JL
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Primarily of Interest to local Democrats here in Palm Beach
County, Florida
Many friends assume I am a registered Democrat. Well, they’re wrong. I used to be but no longer am. A friend recently asked me to attend a local Democratic Party event. I emailed the following response.
“I prefer not to do anything with the local Democratic Party, although I would not vote for a Republican under any circumstances. In fact, I am no longer a Democrat but registered as having No Party Affiliation.
When they accepted DeSantis' life-long-Republican County Election Supervisor appointee (Wendy Link) into the Democratic party (so she could run as one and get elected )... and put a totally unqualified Joe Abruzzo in as County Clerk, who admitted to having to learn his new position "on the job” … and failed to criticize Democratic Sheriff Bradshaw for coddling sex pervert Jeffrey Epstein while in his custody for a year," I gave up on them.
I will work hard for whoever runs against DeSantis. (Nikki Fried is the most qualified, Crist is 'stale bread' and Taddeo basically has only Latino support) but not through this "organization." They are the reason Democrats lose elections in this State. If I still were a Democrat, I would cast a write-in vote in their primary for Frank Cerabino.”
JL
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